New Delhi: Robert Vadra Wednesday sought more time in the Delhi High Court to file his response to the Enforcement Directorate’s plea challenging his anticipatory bail in a money laundering case. Justice Chander Shekhar granted two weeks’ time to Vadra, brother-in-law of Rahul Gandhi, to file his reply to the plea seeking cancellation of the anticipatory bail and listed the matter for further hearing on September 26. Vadra’s counsel said he was outside India when the court’s notice on the petition was served on him and he has returned on July 11. Also Read – How a psychopath killer hid behind the mask of a devout laity!Vadra is facing allegations of money laundering in the purchase of a London-based property at 12, Bryanston Square, worth 1.9 million pounds. The case is being probed under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The ED, in its plea, has challenged a trial court’s April 1 order, which granted Vadra anticipatory bail. The probe agency has sought to cancel the anticipatory bail on grounds that it required his custody as he was not cooperating in the investigation. Also Read – Encounter under way in Pulwama, militant killedThe high court had earlier also sought response of Manoj Arora, an employee of Vadra’s Skylight Hospitality LLP and co-accused in the case, on the agency’s plea seeking cancellation of the anticipatory bail. The plea, filed through ED prosecutor DP Singh, has challenged the trial court’s order, saying the special judge had failed to consider the settled position of the law that bail should not be “granted in a routine manner”. The ED has contended that if Vadra is granted the blanket protection of bail, there is a likelihood that he may tamper with evidence and influence the witnesses in the case and that the trial court had failed to appreciate that he was a highly-influential person. It has claimed that Vadra was “non-cooperative” and in spite of being given several opportunities to come clean on his alleged role in the case, he remained evasive. It said the protection given to him would be detrimental to its probe into certain crucial aspects, including ascertaining the exact source of the allegedly tainted money and the end use of the funds involved in the case.read more

Sri Lanka has regained full member status of the International Cricket Council (ICC).The Sri Lanka Cricket Board said that the SLC’s newly elected President Shammi Silva participated in the ICC Board Meetings ongoing in Dubai today as a fully recognized Director of the ICC Board as per its constitution. Silva’s participation and contribution at the ICC Board Meeting ensured Sri Lanka Cricket regained its full member status of the ICC after nine months of being relegated to Observer status, SLC said. The ICC does not recognize political or other appointments and/or interference to national bodies as legitimate (Article 2.4 (C) (D) of the ICC Constitution) and SLC was on the verge of suspension if a legitimate administration was not elected by the end of February 2019. (Colombo Gazette)